Apple rewards elementary school students' excitement for iPad
Thirteen fifth-grade students in Florida were given free iPads by Apple, and could appear in a forthcoming advertising campaign after they were photographed excitedly eyeing the company's new hardware.
The students at Watergrass Elementary in Wesley Chapel were photographed last month staring at Apple's new iPad. The school's instructional technology specialist sent the photos to a local Apple sales representative who sells the company's devices to educational institutions.
"My heart melted," Apple's Andrea Barr told the St. Petersburg Times. One of the pictures showed the children genuinely excited by the sight of the iPad, almost like something you'd see in an advertisement.
Now, John Couch, Apple's vice president of education, is interesting in potentially using the photos for that purpose.
Barr forwarded the photos to her bosses, who decided to reward the 13 children seen in the photos with iPads. Apple is mailing the hardware to their homes in the coming weeks. And in the near future, they could be a part of Apple's campaign to promote the device.
The children were informed this week that they will receive iPads, news that excited them and made the students the envy of their peers. The fifth graders were also given a demo of the hardware by Barr. One 10-year-old said he'll use his iPad for research and playing games.
Photo credit: Keri Wiginton, St. Petersburg Times.
Apple could potentially use the photos to help market the iPad to schools, as a potential in-class learning tool and textbook replacement. Earlier this year, before the iPad was announced, textbook publisher McGraw-Hill said it had plans to release titles for the device.
In addition, Scrollmotion is reportedly working with major textbook companies to develop digital versions of their titles to use on devices like the iPad. Potential features with the 9.7-inch touchscreen include search, video, highlightable text, lecture recording and note taking.
Apple first began marketing the iPad toward a broad audience in early March, when it aired the first television spot during the Academy Awards. That was followed by a new commercial that debuted in May, answering the question, "What is iPad?" with answers describing it as "thin" and "beautiful."
The students at Watergrass Elementary in Wesley Chapel were photographed last month staring at Apple's new iPad. The school's instructional technology specialist sent the photos to a local Apple sales representative who sells the company's devices to educational institutions.
"My heart melted," Apple's Andrea Barr told the St. Petersburg Times. One of the pictures showed the children genuinely excited by the sight of the iPad, almost like something you'd see in an advertisement.
Now, John Couch, Apple's vice president of education, is interesting in potentially using the photos for that purpose.
Barr forwarded the photos to her bosses, who decided to reward the 13 children seen in the photos with iPads. Apple is mailing the hardware to their homes in the coming weeks. And in the near future, they could be a part of Apple's campaign to promote the device.
The children were informed this week that they will receive iPads, news that excited them and made the students the envy of their peers. The fifth graders were also given a demo of the hardware by Barr. One 10-year-old said he'll use his iPad for research and playing games.
Photo credit: Keri Wiginton, St. Petersburg Times.
Apple could potentially use the photos to help market the iPad to schools, as a potential in-class learning tool and textbook replacement. Earlier this year, before the iPad was announced, textbook publisher McGraw-Hill said it had plans to release titles for the device.
In addition, Scrollmotion is reportedly working with major textbook companies to develop digital versions of their titles to use on devices like the iPad. Potential features with the 9.7-inch touchscreen include search, video, highlightable text, lecture recording and note taking.
Apple first began marketing the iPad toward a broad audience in early March, when it aired the first television spot during the Academy Awards. That was followed by a new commercial that debuted in May, answering the question, "What is iPad?" with answers describing it as "thin" and "beautiful."
Comments
"My heart melted," Apple's Andrea Barr told the St. Petersburg Times. One of the pictures showed the children genuinely excited by the sight of the iPad, almost like something you'd see in an advertisement.
very cool. story. but "genuine" and "advertisement" in the same sentence? blech.
very cool. story. but "genuine" and "advertisement" in the same sentence? blech.
Just checking, so a 'genuine' thing cannot be advertised... only a false, fake, deceptive, what .. help me here.
Just checking, so a 'genuine' thing cannot be advertised... only a false, fake, deceptive, what .. help me here.
It is possible to mix 'genuine' and 'advertising' but a fair amount of cynicism is a natural reaction. Genuine joy, genuine pleasure, genuine love can genuinely be manipulated to pass a genuine message to sell a genuinely great product in order to honestly and fairly and genuinely make shedloads of money. By the time it has come to the moneymaking bit the meaning of aforementioned the genuine love, joy, happiness etc, has become meaningless, however.
..."My heart melted," Apple's Andrea Barr told the St. Petersburg Times.
Really? I wonder what would happen to her heart if she saw a picture of children their age working a 14 hour shift to assemble iPads?
-kpluck
It is possible to mix 'genuine' and 'advertising' but a fair amount of cynicism is a natural reaction. Genuine joy, genuine pleasure, genuine love can genuinely be manipulated to pass a genuine message to sell a genuinely great product in order to honestly and fairly and genuinely make shedloads of money. By the time it has come to the moneymaking bit the meaning of aforementioned the genuine love, joy, happiness etc, has become meaningless, however.
I think I follow that, since you explained it so genuinely.
So far all the Apple products I have bought have genuinely exceeded the hype in the advertising ...
If I'm a kid who gets a free iPad, I could care less what the motive is. On that note, if I'm an adult who knows better and I get a free iPad, I still could care less what the motive is.
Maybe it's just me but I couldn't care less what the motive is if it were me but hey, you are entitled to a different opinion.
It is possible to mix 'genuine' and 'advertising' but a fair amount of cynicism is a natural reaction. Genuine joy, genuine pleasure, genuine love can genuinely be manipulated to pass a genuine message to sell a genuinely great product in order to honestly and fairly and genuinely make shedloads of money. By the time it has come to the moneymaking bit the meaning of aforementioned the genuine love, joy, happiness etc, has become meaningless, however.
Genuine joy, pleasure, etc from the sight/usage of the iPad is an emotional benefit. Advertising is about showing the benefit of the product, in this case, the iPad. We are in a market economy. You make a living by profiteering at whatever you do. It is not a sin that any company tries to make money by marketing their products or services. Disrespecting the deliverance of a genuine message and tying it to the product does not make the message meaningless.
in 5th grade, we just had paper books. Now, they have modern marvels to access porn, movies and games, and facebook in the classroom. progress? why would kids need it?
Maybe they are not excited about the iPad in the photo, maybe they are excited at the porn they are looking at on the iPad. That would explain the excitement in the photo.
So all I have to do is go to an Apple Store and look overly excited at an iPad, have someone take my picture, and Apple will give me a free one because someone thought how cute it was for someone to look at an iPad with excitement? Hey Apple...I will show excitement if you give me an overpriced iPad for free.
Maybe they are not excited about the iPad in the photo, maybe they are excited at the porn they are looking at on the iPad. That would explain the excitement in the photo.
So all I have to do is go to an Apple Store and look overly excited at an iPad, have someone take my picture, and Apple will give me a free one because someone thought how cute it was for someone to look at an iPad with excitement? Hey Apple...I will show excitement if you give me an overpriced iPad for free.
It depends. Are you a cute fourth grader? You do sound like one.
Genuine joy, pleasure, etc from the sight/usage of the iPad is an emotional benefit. Advertising is about showing the benefit of the product, in this case, the iPad. We are in a market economy. You make a living by profiteering at whatever you do. It is not a sin that any company tries to make money by marketing their products or services. Disrespecting the deliverance of a genuine message and tying it to the product does not make the message meaningless.
Exactly.
I mean what are we talking about here, MS uses paid actors to spoof an anti apple campaign where actors are passed off as "genuine" customers getting a good deal on laptops. Their next campaign of I am a pc, features again naturalistic acting and trying to pass of genuine pc users, everyday people seemingly amazed by MS products.
And we still get imbeciles and trolls accusing apple of using a GENUINE photo with GENUINE kids being excited over the ipad to market their products. What f. hypocrisy, you can pay actors to portray supposed genuine encounters with ms products, and you can't use genuine photographs to market your product?
Repulsive hypocrisy.
in 5th grade, we just had paper books. Now, they have modern marvels to access porn, movies and games, and facebook in the classroom. progress? why would kids need it?
Because my kids don't want to ride bikes to school because their backpacks are so heavy with textbooks And I'm tired of being their chauffeur.
All your history textbooks from fifth grade are probably pretty useless at this time; find the Soviet Union on the current map.
No notations are allowed in textbooks.
My 8th grader learns algebra online with instructional videos that go along with his textbooks.
Yes, kids will access inappropriate material that is not class related. In my day, kids would hide comic books inside their textbooks. Nothing's changed.
It takes a lot of trees and energy to create books that need to be stored when not used. My wife spent hundreds of dollars for her college texts that can't be resold at the campus bookstore because a new edition has been released.
But I do hope the kids don't get harassed for their iPads (or that they don't get stolen) and that they have computers at home or school with the updated iTunes software, speed, memory, etc. And I hope Apple included a case for each, since kids are not the most careful handlers of such products. Can you imagine how terrible a kid would feel if (s)he dropped it, scratched it, etc.
And I don't like the use of the photos for advertising. Don't ruin a good thing.
That's so cool. The iPad seems to be changing the rules everywhere you look.
oh God that sounded so corny
oh God that sounded so corny
Yeah that's the kind of dreck repeated ad-nauseum by some members in this forum. It's like a little mini Apple advertisment that makes you vom a little at how cheesey and uneducated it sounds. Some people succumb *so* easily to the marketting that you've got to wonder if they posses any trace of independent thought and critical thinking.
Really? I wonder what would happen to her heart if she saw a picture of children their age working a 14 hour shift to assemble iPads?
-kpluck
What evidence do you have of this? Apple isn't Nike...